The thing about scrapbooking is that it is so very personal. Not just in what it means to each of us and why we do it… but how we do it.

These days, there’s so much inspiration that is accessible online and on social media. We can see what everyone is doing and how they’re designing pages or putting together albums. Ideally, this inspires us. Realistically, I have a feeling that sometimes it’s just downright overwhelming to many — particularly those who still have yet to dive into scrapbooking at all or for those who have been “taking a break” and need some motivation to get back into a routine that has them scrapbooking again.

Browsing is a great idea for getting those creative juices flowing, but if you find that all that looking still doesn’t lead you to doing… it’s time to put the phone down, step back from it all, and do a little personal assessment. Ask yourself — What do I want to get out of all of this (besides completed pages)? What’s going to be the approach that helps me stay motivated because it’s my way of doing things? If I want my family to be involved, which approach will make the most sense for them so they’ll want to join in the fun?

You might crave the tangible touch-and-feel aspect of paper-crafting. Or maybe you’re 100% a fan of scrapbooking on-the-go (or in bed!), and in the palm of your hand. The cool thing about Project Life® is that this little idea that started as this “one thing” has expanded and stretched and evolved to become so much more. It’s not only more widely available, but Project Life is offered in various formats while still holding on to the original concept of pocket scrapbooking to make the memory-keeping aspect of your life … more simple.

We have added a new page to the website called What Is Your Best Fit? I encourage you to check that out. Read about each of the six main ways that you can obtain Project Life and then ask yourself — What’s my best fit? Which way suits my lifestyle best? Which way will keep me actually scrapbooking so that I’m doing something with those pictures and memories? Is there just one way that’s the perfect fit for me? Or am I better off taking a couple different approaches, depending on my memory-keeping projects?

I’ve asked myself these questions (about a hundred times over the past 20 years as a scrapbooker) and I’ve always strived to do what works for me at that time in my life. It’s not always the same. I have allowed myself to evolve (and all of my scrapbooks are evidence of my evolution) so I’m always scrapbooking in a way that has me actually doing it. Right now, there are two main approaches that are floating my boat and keeping me scrapbooking: 1) the Project Life app - for our family yearbook; and 2) the physical version used in the ultimate simplest way — photos and cards in pockets — for each of the kids’ ongoing albums that holds all their “stuff.” This video is a few years old, but it’s still pretty much my system for the kids’ albums in case you want to check that out.

I am deep into my third round of completing a 101 goals in 1001 days challenge.The way this project works for me is in offering pre-planned projects to work on when I have available time.I use it as a resource list for filling my days with worthwhile activities.

Without a plan, any downtime that I found would likely be whiled away in the never-ending lands of Instagram, Bloglovin’, or Pinterest.

Here’s how it works: Every three years (or thereabouts), I write a list of 101 things that I would like to accomplish in the next few years.I don’t write the list all in one sitting.I usually add and subtract ideas for a few weeks until I have a list that feels in balance with all of the facets of my life and also has a nice mix of both big and little goals.

Big or small, trivial or important, my one aim is for the accomplishment of each goal to add value to my life.

I understand that some people like to choose only a few goals to focus on at a time (and that is totally legitimate), but I love having a long list because I am a bit fickle with my time and interests.I will often spend a long afternoon or even a week totally focusing my free time on one activity.The next week, I will hop to a different project.The third week I could be back to the first or starting project number three.Having 101 different goals to work toward, covering all areas of my life, means that I can almost always find something on my list that fits with my current interest or motivation.

Having a lot of goals also means that I have a lot of room for success.A long list equals a lot of opportunities to get things done and crossed off.Each time I cross something off my list, I feel great and I am motivated to do more.Again, my long list is a helper in this process; I have a sizable list of options to direct that extra jolt of energy toward.

Crossed off goals serve as proof of my progress.I love reading through my list to see all that I’ve already accomplished.It helps me to remember that using my time intentionally pays off.

My goal list plays a big part in my day-to-day life.It keeps me on track and it keeps me moving forward.Using my time purposefully means that my spare moments add up to a better life – a life of purpose and a life on purpose.

Brooke Petermann is a part of our 2015 Creative Team. She currently lives in Nebraska with her husband Brian and two sons Sam and Eli.

Life is an adventure and documenting the journey has never been easier! Grab your bags and get ready for a big adventure with Studio Calico’s newest Project Life® kit, Odyssey. This fun kit includes a mix of vivid journaling cards, red numbered washi tape, pretty chipboard shapes, and bold die cuts. Breathe in the bright blue and yellow hues of this month’s kit and its lovely patterns to match. Add in visual appeal with a stunning letterpress card, a playful plastic hashtag die cut, and an exclusive roller phrase stamp! Get ready to embark on an epic journey. The sky is the limit with Odyssey!

The items in the monthly Studio Calico Project Life kits are hand selected to coordinate perfectly, taking the guesswork out of putting your pages together. In addition to a new Project Life kit each month, there is also a wonderful selection of add-on products to supplement your kit for even more variety. Whether you choose to receive your kit monthly as a subscriber or purchase individual kits, you’ll love when your package arrives. Start a new subscription now at www.studiocalico.com.

Click here for more information on the Odyssey kit and to see the additional products that are available this month. To learn more about how Studio Calico monthly subscriptions, sneak peeks, and kit reveals work, visit the Studio Calico site and community forum. To understand more about our partnership with Studio Calico and the products they offer, click HERE. To find inspiration using their goodies, click HERE.

Hi friends! Today’s blog post has been put together by our very own Digital Manager, Laurie Pecotte. Enjoy!

At the end of 2014, we announced our brand new 2015 Digital Creative Team and our brand new Project Life® App Team. The Digital Creative Team works exclusively with our products in digital format found in the Digital Project Life store. Our Project Life App Team is a new addition to our creative family. They work exclusively creating layouts in the Project Life App. There are so many great ways to document your memories with the Project Life system, and we are so glad that we have this amazingly talented team to help provide inspiration for whichever method works best for you.

Even though these girls are super tech savvy, you can see that they let their photos and words tell their stories. No fancy skills needed outside of adding pictures, cards, and journaling to a template. You can see more of their work in the Digital Project Life store where their layouts are added to each kit as sample images. Are you stuck using a certain kit? No problem! Just pull up the kit in the store and look for additional images on the product page.

Make sure to click on the Creative Team Member’s name underneath their layout. The link will take you to each member’s profile so you can get to know them.

Now sit back, relax, and enjoy some amazing inspiration.

Layout by Julie Gagen using the Project Life App. Features Baby for Him Edition, Baby Edition, Template Design A, and Template Design S (kits and templates available as in-app purchases.)

Layout by Lindsay Ross using the Project Life App. Features Project 52, Template Design A, and Template Design O (kits and templates available as in-app purchases.)

We’ve got another dose of Creative Team inspiration for you and these ladies do NOT disappoint! You can see they are using a variety of products, personal (and/or child-drawn) artwork, embellishments, and photo techniques to bring their stories to life. We even have one team member who took the time this month to get an entire box of memorabilia organized quickly + easily + beautifully using our Envelope Pages which will then fit perfectly into her albums or will make it simple for her to find what she’s looking for when she’s ready to document those memories – YAY!!

The pages you’ll see in this post are from the girls on our team using our physical products. Tomorrow you’ll get your first glimpse of digital inspiration from those on our team using our digital products and the Project Life App to document. No matter which products you choose to use, Project Life® is here to help you simplify the process of getting your stories into albums! Remember that the 3 core Project Life components and nothing else are really all you need to get started. Album + Project Life Core Kit + Big Pack of Photo Pocket Pages. That’s it. All products used in the pages below include direct links under the images for your convenience so you can see more.

That’s it from me for this month … now enjoy what our team has to share with you!

You may already know that we have a little section of our online shop that’s called “Retired” – it’s at the bottom of the categories. This is for items that are specifically being retired, mostly because they’ve been around a while and we’re clearing out the old to make room for the new. (And boy, do we have some awesome new things coming in within just a few weeks!)

So here’s the deal. I’m going to keep this short & sweet. The Retirement section just got really huge, friends. Not just in how many items we’ve added but with the steep discount that’s just too good to pass up. Ready for this??

60% off!

There’s no catch. No special codes to enter. No coupon necessary. Prices are already marked down. These are not returned / damaged goods. Nope – they’re still in NEW condition! At 60% off, tell your friends. These are awesome products at crazy-low prices. I’m sure things are going to fly out the door fast, so don’t miss out. Sale lasts as long as the inventory is in stock.

Below is a list of every product that is part of the Retirement Sale and each item is linked directly to that product page in the shop for your convenience. Want to browse pictures of it ALL? No problem. Click here and scroll through five pages of slashed prices on Project Life®.

PS – While you’re shopping, don’t forget to check out the Blowout Sale which is also happening (can you tell we’re in the mood for spring cleaning or what?!). You’ll find more awesome products at 50% off, but these aren’t being retired at the moment. We’re just moving through some of that inventory. ; )

Hi, friends! I’m sure you get the idea. Project 52 is documenting your life and your story – one week at a time. But it’s nearly the end of February. Isn’t this something that has to start on January 1st?

No — it really doesn’t. There are no rules in scrapbooking, which I hope is something we really feel and understand by now. Doing anything to preserve our memories is awesome. It all counts! It’s all worthwhile!

So here’s the deal.

I absolutely know there are many of you who really love the idea of Project 52 but because you didn’t kick things off on January 1st, you’ve likely thought, “Oh well; it didn’t happen this year.” Friends, I am personally so excited about this approach, and I’m thrilled to share with you some thoughts and ideas that I hope will get you inspired to give it a try. I totally get that some of you feel that this only makes sense if it starts at the beginning of the year, and the good news that I have to share with you is that it’s very much possible to get completely caught up in just an hour or two, if you want it to be a January 1 start! With a quick catch-up, you’re then set up to do just one quick layout each week and that’s it! Stick with me on this. Keep reading. : )

Today is a great day to get started!

Do you know why? First of all, it’s never too late to start recording your story. Second of all, I hope that with the tips and inspiration in today’s post, you’ll find that you really can dive in quite easily. Third, we have some physical Project 52 products on sale for 30% off right now! The 6×6 Paper Pad, Embossing Folders, Photo Overlays, and Specialty Cards are each 30% off right now (sale applies to actual inventory; not our digital or app).

The Core Kit and Album are at the regular price because we’re getting low on inventory, so don’t miss out on those core items while you’re taking advantage of the sale items.

Overview of options

Let’s do a quick review on the options that are available to you for Project 52 (and most of our Project Life® products for that matter):

Option #1 – Physical product. Actual, physical product. Photo Pocket Pages and pre-designed cards that you can hold in your hand. Everything, including your photos, slips into the pages and you handwrite your captions on the journaling cards.

Option #2 – Digital product. Create layouts in photo-editing software (like Photoshop) using the digital templates and digital cards / art. Then print the completed pages with your favorite printer and slip those pages into page protectors. Or have the pages printed into a printed and bound photo book (lots of online services that offer this capability).

Option #3 – Project Life App. Create layouts in the palm of your hand. Available only for Apple products at this time (Android is in the works; you can see our latest full update about that at the bottom of this post). Pull photos from your Camera Roll or even Dropbox. Templates and art are the same as what’s available in physical and digital options. See how it works with this intro video. Oh, hey — and the app is on sale for just 99 cents right now! Aaaaand… you can order prints of those completed pages directly from the app now, too!

Learn more about Project Life options in a new section we’ve just added to the website called What’s Your Best Fit?

What makes the most sense for you?

The bottom line is that I want you to have SUCCESS with memory keeping! There is no right or wrong way and we all know that. I’m so pleased that we can provide so many options and I hope that one of them works well for you. The key is figuring out what is the best fit for your personal style – and your lifestyle, too! I’ll share what’s working for me, what’s working for a few others, and hopefully something will strike you as a good idea that you want to implement yourself. : )

What works for me

Back when we introduced Project 52, I shared my game plan for how I would approach my family memory keeping in 2015. I’m pleased to share that I’m keeping up, and I. am. loving. it. Each Sunday it’s my happy little routine to jump into the app on my iPhone, create my two pages that summarize the week with photos & anecdotes, and I’m telling you, it comes together soooo quickly. I actually decided that I would go ahead and print along the way as well. Since our 8×8 albums are just around the corner from arriving in our shop (and hopefully your local retailer as well, should they choose to carry our 8×8 products)… I’m going to keep this ongoing family year book throughout the year, and then at the end of the year I will print a copy (photo book style) for each of the kids.

Here’s a look at a few early layouts from our 2015 family yearbook. I’m using the app to create my pages 100% and I’m ordering the prints directly from the app which is the easiest-breeziest way to get those prints in your hands. The quality is amazing. My journaling in the photos below is blurred simply for privacy reasons.

Note: Our 8×8 albums will be available in Black, Red, and Grey (shown).

Below is the title page, which of course you can completely make however you want. I just love the suggested title page cards the way Kimberly Church designed them.

Week 1 (below) is laid out with Design A, which is the template design I am finding I reach for the most, actually. I take most pictures in horizontal/landscape format, but there many page layout designs, so if you’re mostly vertical/portrait – or a healthy mix of both – we’ve got you covered. : )

Once in a while I find that I want a full layout on a particular theme or event or trip. For example, when we went to CHA, that really did warrant its own layout (below), so while I stick with the week-to-week documentation, I do love the “extra” layout thrown in between weeks once in a while.

Keep in mind that Project 52 doesn’t have to mean a picture to represent every single day. Here in Week 3 (below), you might be able to tell that those pictures on the right page are all from the same day / event. The left page includes highlights from the earlier part of the week. The right page is all about our day skiing. This two-page layout still represents our week as a whole.

Let’s have a look at the way some other Project Lifers are using Project 52 to document their life in 2015. And by the way, can you do this concept with ANY of our products? Of course! So what’s different about Project 52? We give you all the specific cards that say Week 1, Week 2, etc. and the whole collection looks beautiful together, and from week to week. For me personally, I love sticking with one collection for my weekly layouts simply to make my decision-making that much faster. For my in-between pages, I sometimes tap into another collection.

Remember: No rules. Do whatever will float your boat. ; )

More with the app

If you search #ProjectLifeApp on Instagram (or any social media channel for that matter), you’ll see a whole lot of inspiration. In my recent browsing I was delighted to see this from a customer, @hvandyne. Holly VanDyne is a “middle grade author and lover of all things crafty,” according to her Instagram profile. She shared:

Played with the Project Life App last night from @BeckyHigginsLLC – finished AND printed all of my weeks from 2015 so far in under an hour! I’ve never felt so caught up.

It appears as though she’s creating one page (not two pages) per week, which is great too!

Physical product

The idea of printing photos, writing on journaling cards, and slipping all of these elements – and memorabilia – into pockets is such a good fit for Rianne Alonte and so many others who love the tangible aspect of scrapbooking. Below is one of Rianne’s recent layouts. Keep in mind that our physical product has rounded corners which is a lovely finishing touch that many prefer. If you prefer the square corners (as shown below), you can always print the cards yourself (with the digital files).

Digital products

Kimberly Lund is actually going back and catching up on her 2014 with Project 52 (Week 49 is below), which I am also doing … but with the app. And my approach is more of a “best of / highlights” approach instead of week-by-week, just to help me expedite that catching up process.

Kelly Sill‘s digital layout (below) is another great example of how she’s using the products to work for her. Great pictures that highlight what’s going on in their life, well-designed products, easy digital templates to use, and she loves adding the little arrows and tabs which are details you can do in the digital format.

Playing Catch-up

Here is what I would recommend that you consider if you do want to jump on-board with Project 52 but you really, really want it to be from the first of the year:

1. Determine what your weeks will be: Sunday to Saturday? Monday to Sunday?

2. Determine what format works best for you: Physical, digital, or app?

3. Get started! Your first week could be that very last part of December that leads into January… or you can make your first week January 1 through the 10th or 11th. Whatever you want. Just make a layout that summarizes that week. The photos are likely sitting on your phone right now anyway, or you can easily put your finger on them, on your computer.

4. Knocking out that first week will be easy, but I’d be willing to bet that the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and other subsequent weeks will be even faster because you’ll be a well-oiled machine now!

5. Do not over-think things. Catching up can be just as quick as you want it to be. If journaling takes you the longest, consider having mostly pictures and just one journaling card that summarizes the whole layout.

Everyone’s pace is different. For me, I usually spend about 5-10 minutes on a layout using the app. I use Siri for journaling, which really speeds things up. So in essence, I can catch up on the first 10 weeks of 2015 in about an hour! Amazing, right?

You can do this.

You will love it! Your family will love it. Once you have laid the ground work, you will have established your rhythm and then keeping up one week at a time (very little time each week)… is really so easy. Keep in mind that there are huge benefits to scrapbooking on a regular basis like this. We all know that we are preserving family history. Future generations will have an abundant appreciation for your efforts in keeping records, telling stories, and preserving your photos.

But this isn’t just for the future. It’s for NOW! Scrapbooking can be very therapeutic. Regular documentation like this helps us to realize just how blessed we are even when life is so very imperfect and sometimes downright messy. Taking the time to scrapbook makes us more aware of what we want more of in life. Whether you actually get “artistic” or not (Project Life is versatile for any approach)… scrapbooking is not only a fun, creative outlet but one that is so worthwhile of your time.

And you know how I feel about time… it doesn’t have to take very much time to scrapbook if you keep things simple. ; )

When I was growing up, I realized young that my parents had a gift. I was amazed by it. I watched and studied their words and actions; I wanted that gift. They could make people laugh.

I remember at one of their many parties repeatedly falling off my bed until I felt sufficiently hurt so that I could go out and tell my mom honestly, “I fell off my bed and hurt myself!” She then let me stay amongst the adults for a few minutes and participate in the party. I was in awe. It was so fun! Since my childhood, all I’ve really wanted (except a family, kids, and all that good stuff!) was that. Being among friends and family and hearing everyone laugh! To me, it is the greatest sound and the greatest feeling to be experienced.

Luckily, I met a man who is expert at making me laugh. Whatever comes our way, he has a wonderful sense of humor (and even resorts to ridiculous dancing when absolutely necessary) that pulls us out of any funk. He is such a fantastic companion for me. After he had said something particularly funny in a text, my best friend once asked me, “Do you guys just laugh all the time?” I had to think for about 2 milliseconds before saying that yes, in fact we do!

So that’s all well and good, but why is it part of cultivating a good life? Well, I don’t have statistics or studies to cite, but I’d be willing to bet that people who laugh often lead happier lives. Ground breaking, I know. Everyone has difficulties, we can’t avoid it, but facing those difficulties with a heart full of laughter lightens every burden. If you know you have to go through something hard, do it with a smile on your face and an awkward dance in your back pocket! Then pull it out when necessary. If you think of something funny while in line at the grocery store, tell the lady in front of you. She’ll totally appreciate it! Trust me. That’s another great life lesson taught to me by my mom. Talk to strangers; they’re usually pretty fun and they can quickly become friends.

I have often made a fool of myself in the hopes of making others laugh. If you frequent Becky’s site, you may have even spotted some of my shenanigans with my friend Brandi in the past. It is so important to not take yourself too seriously and to surround yourself with people of the same creed. Enjoy life! Play games meant for teenagers at a party of adults! Sing in the car, alone, with people, whatever! Laugh as much as possible and make your life happy!

Note from Becky

If any of my friends crave laughter, it’s Allison. She is such a fantastic example to me of having a healthy sense of humor in life and she radiates HAPPINESS. Not because life is perfect. Not because she has it all figured out and doesn’t know what it’s like to face challenges. But because she chooses joy. And those of us directly influenced by her awesomeness are better because we know and love Allison. The Whittle family lived in our community a few years back and we met in church. It wasn’t hard to become fast friends and eventually we did a carpool together and with each other’s kids. Even after Allison and her family moved away, we continue to stay in touch. I even had her join us in the Project Life booth at Pinners because she’s so very enthusiastic about what we do and how the app (specifically) has helped her to actually get some scrapbooking done.

]]>http://beckyhiggins.com/good-life-by-allison-whittle/feed/3how to set up a baby albumhttp://beckyhiggins.com/how-to-set-up-a-baby-album-2/
http://beckyhiggins.com/how-to-set-up-a-baby-album-2/#commentsSat, 21 Feb 2015 13:00:24 +0000http://beckyhiggins.com/?p=44189

Quite a while ago we released the highly-anticipated Baby Editions of Project Life®. What a thrill to see so many of you preserve your baby memories with this back-to-basics system. We love, love, love the gorgeous designs by Lili Niclass but knew it was time to refresh the design work for the baby theme. While these are sold out in most places, no worries!

2. You can still get the Baby Editions in digital format. Those aren’t going away anytime soon!

3. The Baby Editions have made it to the Project Life app! Oh yes. New mamas are loving this ability to scrapbook on their mobile device, no question about it. Haven’t really seen how the app works? Check out this video.

4. We have re-designed the Baby Editions (two different color palettes – one for boys, one for girls) and we’re just weeks away from the big announcement about those collections that will be arriving in the spring. We’re bursting at the seams to tell you WHO designed these and simply can’t wait to share the awesomeness with you. So hang in there… those are coming soon!

Setting up a baby album

We get lots of requests for help in setting up a baby album. We’re in the business of helping people have success with their memory keeping, so keep reading! A while back (and before I had an in-house photographer taking much better pictures for me)… I wrote a blog post that walks you layout to layout and how I would recommend setting up the album and how I designed it to all flow and work together. Because of some technical / backend issues, we’re not able to successfully link to that old post, so we’re just sharing it again. What’s old is new again, friends! Here you go!

How this post applies to you

There are a few ways to look at this information / inspiration. One of these will likely apply to you.

1. I have a friend who would love this as a gift.

2. I have a baby and want to document his or her life along the way.

3. I’m going to have a baby soon and this would be perfect for me.

4. I have a baby (or babies) … that are now much, much older (not a baby at all), but I’d still love to go back and get those photos + memories into an album.

5. I am interested in getting my own baby pictures into an album.

That said, I want to share with you my own personal experience of putting together a baby Project Life album as a GIFT. I did this whole thing in less than two hours and it’s completely ready to slip those pictures into the album, start to finish, without having to do anything other than jot down the notes and memories and stories about Baby’s First Year.

Before I dive in, I want to emphasize that the Baby Edition – just like every other edition of Project Life – is designed with flexibility. This means that once the product is in your hands, it’s yours to do whatever you want. Leave it simple or get creative. Do what motivates you to actually do it. That’s the key.

When I designed the organization + content + functionality of the Baby Edition, there was a great deal of thought and several revisions that went into that process before I even had our wonderful designer Lili Niclass work on the graphic designs and color palettes. I’ll spare you the details of that process, but I think you’ll LOVE that there are so many details in the Baby Edition of Project Life that will HELP you recall those baby memories you want to record — particularly the journaling prompts sprinkled throughout the cards.

step by step, one layout at a time

As with any other Project Life album, there are three components you need – and nothing else (unless you WANT to add more): Album + Project Life Core Kit + Big Pack of Photo Pocket Pages (which comes with 60 pages, a perfect fit for 1 album).

Step 1: Place all the Photo Pocket Pages in the album and open your Core Kit.

In every Project Life Core Kit, you’ll find a list of contents so you’ll have an overview of what’s there.

Step 2: Place all the First Page cards + Last Page cards in the respective pockets. There are (8) 4×6 cards and (8) 3×4 cards on the top of the stacks that are designed for the First Page and Last Page of the album. You’ll know because they’re indicated as such on the back of each of those cards and therefore look different than all the other cards in the box.

Step 3: If you have a place to spread out (remember – it’s temporary if you want to knock this out in one sitting) … spread out all the cards that are specific Prompt Cards. These are different than typical Journaling Cards because instead of just having lines and designs, they actually include a prompt on the card.

Step 4: As for the rest of those cards that are “just” Journaling Cards (no prompts) … go ahead and get those out, too. Because there are several of each of those designs, I like putting them out in little stacks so I can have an overview of all that is available to me at any given time while I’m slipping cards into pockets. You may notice that I even flipped over most of those to see a glimpse of what the back of the card is since I always have the option with each and every card.

Step 5: Place the rest of the cards in pockets. The following layouts show you what I had in mind for the entire album, layout by layout. Like I said, you don’t have to follow this, but for those of you who appreciate some guidance … this is for you. ; ) NOTE: Every space that is WHITE represents where a photo goes.

Title Page

Your Heritage. This layout gives an overview of those who came before Baby, so Baby has a little background on his or her ancestors. Obviously, the Baby Edition is just as popular for adopted children as well. This can be applicable as you see fit. Include pictures of grandparents and beyond, if you want.

Story of Us. This layout is dedicated to Baby’s parents and gives you the chance to add pictures and anecdotes about Mom and Dad. They’re a pretty important part of Baby’s story, too, after all.

Our Family. Whoever Baby’s family is … that’s what this layout is for. Think cousins and other extended family … of course siblings and immediate family.

Expecting You. Those months leading up to Baby’s arrival, including, of course, the pregnancy.

Being Showered. If there was a baby shower or celebration in honor of mom-to-be, great. Even if there wasn’t, this is a great place to include any service that was rendered to the family during those weeks and months leading up to Baby’s arrival.

Gifts. You know … like the stuff people gave to Baby and the parents-to-be – before or after the arrival.

Birth Day. Speaking of arrival … this layout is for the big day. I think it’s a great place to “set the scene” of that day before getting to the pictures of Baby actually showing up.

Your Arrival. NOW Baby actually appears in his or her Baby Album! You see, everything to this point tells the story of the people and circumstances that led to this beautiful little person coming into the world. Now we’re focusing the majority of our attention in the album on Baby.

The Day You Were Born. A little more on the details about that very special occasion.

Your Very First Days of Life. Bringing Baby home from the hospital or in some cases for some babies – perhaps an extended period of time at the hospital.

First Home. About Baby’s first home, first town, first surroundings.

Your Bedroom. Maybe Baby had a decked-out nursery or maybe they slept in Mom & Dad’s closet for several months. Plus, we are now getting to the Time Capsule (right side). All the little details of when Baby was born and what the world was like at that time. If you’re going back to past years … no problem. Just google that year and there are lots of sites that are literally time capsules of main events, headline news, popular people, books, movies, fashion, cost of living, etc.

Blessing/Christening. If this is a religious practice in your family and part of Baby’s life, we have a card for each occasion. Take your pick or just don’t use these 2 cards.

Miscellaneous. The Baby Core Kit comes with plenty of Title Cards that are generic – not specific. Same with some of the prompts that are not necessarily “time specific” or pertinent to any sort of “chronology” of the story. Use those however you want to fill in details of Baby’s story.

Month 1. Now we head into the month-by-month layouts for Baby’s First Year. If you’re going back to your own babyhood, chances are you don’t have pictures for every month of your first year … or at least they’re not likely labeled accordingly. No problem. Just don’t use the month cards. But if you’re setting this up for your baby (or a friend’s), you can plan to just have a single layout per month which would be an overview of the highlights, memories, milestones, etc. from that month. Or – of course you can add additional layouts. NOTE: “Month 1″ can mean the first month or at the month one mark or whatever makes the most sense to you. I like to use these cards as “this is the first month in your life, this is the 2nd month in your life…”

This is an example of extending beyond just one layout. You’d simply have pictures and journaling cards as needed.

Month 2. I’m just repeating the same idea here. Title Card in the upper left, the “Highlights & Milestones” card in the bottom right (there’s one for each month), and all the pictures and journaling cards in the other pockets.

Again – this is just “another” layout that doesn’t need a title because it’s part of “Month 2.”

Month 3. Same thing. Repeat, repeat, repeat until you get through Month 12. Then any other “filler” layouts you want. There will be special occasions that might warrant a full layout, for example. Whatever you want to do.

Last Page. This is it. The end to the album – but not the story, of course.

You truly can summarize Baby’s First Year in one album. I know some of you have hundreds of darling pictures of your baby that are just so cute … and how can you possibly narrow down!? You can. Begin with the end in mind. It’s just the first year. Baby will undoubtedly be so grateful that he or she has an album FULL of pictures and stories. You can totally narrow down. And if you just can’t … well then, spill into a second album and that’s okay, too! It’s YOUR Project Life.

If you’re interested to see how I personally used Baby Project Life with actual pictures (for our son, Crew), you can catch that on You Tube.

]]>http://beckyhiggins.com/how-to-set-up-a-baby-album-2/feed/14the gift of memorieshttp://beckyhiggins.com/the-gift-of-memories/
http://beckyhiggins.com/the-gift-of-memories/#commentsFri, 20 Feb 2015 18:49:14 +0000http://beckyhiggins.com/?p=44139We’ve invited our friend and former Creative Team member (and forever a part of our Project Life® family) Autumn Nguyen to share with us today. Autumn is one of my favorites to follow on Instagram. She is a self-proclaimed photo addict, science nerd, mother, runner, and while I haven’t actually sat in her classroom myself, I’d be willing to bet she’s one of the coolest teachers around. We adore Autumn, and one of the things we love so much about her is that not only is she a Project Lifer and so, so, so good at documenting her family’s story, but she SHARES scrapbooks as gifts – a lot. She has blessed the lives of many, and we invited her to share some inspiration with you today.

Here’s Autumn!

Growing up, my mom always gave the gift of handmade items. She up-cycled clothes from moo-moos for me and my sister, made clothes for our dolls, and knitted the most beautiful garments. My sister, who takes after my mom, makes the most finely-detailed hand-knits I’ve ever seen. I’m often the lucky recipient of her fine work.

Naturally, I’m a huge fan of handmade gifts. I find great joy in giving to others. And because I’m obsessed with photos and stories, I enjoy giving the gift of memories. In this digital age, I find that it is even more important to get those memories into print.

Gifting memories has always been my thing. I love traditional scrapbooking, but it took me hours to create a layout for a family member or friend. Project Life changed all of that for me. Yep. It is simple and fast and the kits are absolutely gorgeous!

Last December, I had this grand idea of making albums for those I love. December was a busy month — I was juggling December Daily (a project created by Ali Edwards), working full time as a middle-school science teacher, and making the holiday season magical for a then three year old — but Project Life made it possible for me to make seven (you read that right, SEVEN) gift albums.

Here’s a look at some of the books I made:

For Simone

My brother, Hung, proposed to his fiancé, Simone, back in November, so I created a book to document their story. The album includes photos from both families (with notes to Simone from her mom) and stories of their life in their favorite cities leading up to their engagement. I left some of the journaling cards blank for Simone and Hung to do some of their own journaling.

Simone loved the book (and spent hours looking at it, recalling her favorite memories with my brother). She was pleasantly surprised to see that her parents had contributed to the album. (Once the wedding takes place, I’ll ask for the book back to add to their story — or maybe she will be inspired to do it herself since Project Life is so easy and doable for everybody.)

For My Family

I made a book for each family member to document the evolution of their relationship with Samuel over a period of time. I picked photos from 4-6 stories per year and used 6”x8” albums to record the stories. Each book is specific to a person in my family and their time with Samuel. Currently, the albums hold photos and stories of the last four years — and it is pretty awesome to see how the relationship and play and interaction has changed in that time.

Below is a sampling of a few of the pages from the books — I did not get a chance to take many photos of these projects because I finished them just in time to give them away.

Everybody in my family loved the idea of documenting little snapshots of their time with Samuel and having these stories gathered in one book. Our home was filled with so much joy and giggles and laughter as they gathered around to share their books.

From here on out, I plan to add 4-6 stories a year to their albums at the end of each year (love the idea of making it a Christmas tradition). I’m hoping to cover a period of 10 years in an album.

For Ashlyn (and her mama)

Samuel met Ashlyn on his own one afternoon at a local park. They played beautifully together for over an hour that afternoon. As their friendship unfolded, they learned that, among other things, they are both passionate about horses. This album captures the innocence, magic, and joyfulness of being three. (And the Playful Edition is the perfect kit to document this budding friendship!)

For the Love of Horses

Samuel has been in love with horses since he was 15 months. He rode his first horse at 20 months. He is now 4 years old and his obsession with horses takes us all over the place. I initially made this album for him in December of 2013 and updated it again this past year. This album includes photos and stories from each horse riding lesson and horse encounter from 2012-2014.

Hello Friends

Friends come and go, but they always hold a special place in our hearts. I recently started this album for my son to document special friends in his life from year to year.

*sigh*

This is Becky again. Isn’t she so inspiring!? Thank you, Autumn! What a gift you have, and how blessed are your friends and family for sharing that gift!

Everyone: Consider the smaller size (a 6×8 album, which has 2 rings and you would insert pages) or a Mini Album (which is 9×8 and the pages are already stitched in) for a smaller-scale project. For someone else, or even for YOU! Autumn used a variety of Project Life products, all of which can be found in our online shop and some of which can be found at your local craft / scrapbook store.